Proving once again that this is Luc Besson's world, and we're just living in it, the world has moved one step closer to the Fifth Element. That's right, remote-controlled cockroaches. The iBionicS Lab at North Carolina State recently presented a paper at the IEEE describing a robotics system for controlling a cockroach.

They implanted a circuit on a cockroach with controls on its cerci — an abdominal sensing organ which sends it scuttling forward; and on the antennae to control left and right movement. With circuitry embedded in its back, the cockroach was controlled precisely enough to follow a curved line drawn on the floor.

The proposed design should also be more reliable than ones we've seen before, thanks to a mooted on-board verification system that can tell if the delicate tissue-electrode interface is still reliable, or is being damaged.

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We're a long way from creating robots that are as small and stable as insects, so a remote-control cockroach or other insect might easily be able to make its way into a disaster site, and go places humans and rescue animals can't.